


MegaMan Zero: Legend Reborn

by MysticDeadman



Category: Primal Rage (Video Game), Rockman Zero | Mega Man Zero, Rockman | Mega Man - All Media Types, Street Fighter
Genre: Action, Action/Adventure, Crossover, Fights, Fist Fights, Gen, General fiction, Karate, Literature, Martial Arts, Ninja, Weapons, fan fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-05-16
Packaged: 2020-01-16 09:41:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18518842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MysticDeadman/pseuds/MysticDeadman
Summary: Sixteen years following the end of the Neo Arcadian War, peace reigns in a reborn world. However, when dissenters begin to rise amongst the citizens, an unlikely hero takes up the sword.





	1. Episode 1: Power Up!

Episode 1: Power Up! - Part 1

23XX.

The nation of Neo Arcadia faced a terrible crisis. The energy source that powered Neo Arcadia reached a dangerously low level, creating a sense of fear among both the human and Reploid citizens alike. The ruling leader of Neo Arcadia, known as Copy X, began declaring innocent Reploids as Mavericks. He began to persecute the falsely accused Reploids in an effort to reduce the level of dependence on E-Crystals, the source of Neo Arcadia's power, and stretch out the already thin resource as far as possible.

Many of the citizens of Neo Arcadia lost faith in their leader and defected from the nation, creating their own force to oppose the Neo Arcadian government's cruel oppression, calling themselves the Neo Arcadian Resistance Army. Led by Dr. Ciel Kimura and Unit 0, comprised of Sage Harpuia, Fairy Leviathan, Fighting Fefnir and Hidden Phantom, the reformed Guardians of Copy X, and the legendary Maverick Hunter Zero, the Neo Arcadian Resistance Army waged a war against the nation in an effort to both overthrow Copy X and find a solution to the crisis that plagued Neo Arcadia. In the end, both goals were achieved as Copy X fell and Dr. Kimura was able to develop the stable energy source known as the 'Ciel System.'

Unfortunately, a threat still remained. Dr. Weil, a scientist that had been banished from Neo Arcadia, sought revenge against the nation and aimed to destroy it completely. Zero and the rest of Unit 0 battled Weil's forces valiantly, bringing the fates of humans and Reploids not only in Neo Arcadia, but around the world, to rest on one final battle. Zero and Dr. Weil faced off one-on-one onboard the orbital satellite Ragnarok, each determined to end the war once and for all. Zero managed to defeat Weil, but as a result of the battle-

“Iris.” Oh. Hold on.

I turn from my computer screen to see my dad poking his head through my door. “Have you finished your homework?”

I roll my eyes. Ugh. I hate it when he does that. He always manages to interrupt me when I'm doing something important and he never knocks. Whatever happened to privacy in one's room, anyway?

“Yes, dad. I finished it last night.” I don't exactly hide the annoyance in my voice. My dad's used to it though, because he doesn't even respond to it.

“Alright then. Better get ready for school. You don't want to be late on your first day.” He says as he leaves.

I roll my eyes again. Another thing I hate: summer homework. What kind of school allows its teachers to assign homework over summer vacation? That kind of thing should be illegal. I mean, we take a vacation so we can forget all the stuff we learn at school, not so we can do some lame essay on the historical significance of toilet paper.

Anyway, where was I? Oh. Right. Computer.

As a result of Zero and Weil's battle, Ragnarok became incapable of maintaining its orbit around the Earth and fell to its destruction. Zero was unable to escape from the station before it crashed. Nobody knows what happened to him, but it's assumed that he was destroyed in the crash since all that was ever found was a badly damaged helmet that belonged to him. Despite their heroic efforts in saving not only a nation, but an entire planet, Dr. Kimura and the four Guardians disappeared from the face of the Earth as well. No traces of any of them were ever found, and no witnesses to their disappearances were present. Still, society today owes its peaceful existence to the efforts of Dr. Ciel Kimura and the Neo Arcadian Resistance Army.

I scrolled up on the web page, finding pictures taken during the War. Images of Zero and the Guardians roll onto my monitor and I can't help but look in awe. Zero. The legendary Maverick Hunter and leader of Unit 0. He looks so cool in the pictures on the page. Shots of him fighting off numerous enemies with his favorite weapon, the Z-Saber, make me feel fuzzy inside. Clicking on a few links, I find more images of Zero. One shows him standing with the Guardians on a cliff overlooking Neo Arcadia. Another shows him carrying supplies into the Resistance base and smiling at another soldier, who I guess tripped over something and fell over. Man, what I wouldn't give to meet Zero in person.

Oh, right. You're probably wondering who I am. Well, my name is Iris Sakamoto. I'm 16 years old. I stand about 5 feet 7 inches and my weight is none of your business. Jerk. Anyway, I have what people call “soft” blue eyes and brown, waist-long hair. I live with my parents. My dad, Koji, is a software engineer for a huge computer company. My mom, Yuna, is an interior designer with no real sense of color coordination. But don't tell her I said that.

People look at me, then my parents, and wonder what happened. I mean, I've got long brown hair, while my dad has blonde hair that isn't too short, but isn't too long, and my mom has blonde hair that reaches just past her shoulders when it isn't tied back. How do two blondes have a daughter that turns out to be a brunette? Some kind of glitch in nature, I guess. It doesn't bother me, though, since I'm my own person. That's right. I'm a solitary woman. A woman who doesn't need to rely on anybody to get through life. A woman who knows what she's doing. A woman who...

“Ack!”

...just saw her clock on the nightstand and realized she's gonna be late for school. Great.

I took my book bag off my bed and made a mad dash to the front door.

“ByemombyedadI'mofftoschool!” I shouted as I left. I thought I heard mom say something, but I didn't bother to go back and ask what she said. Unless I haul buns, I'm gonna be late enough as it is and I don't want to make it worse.

* * *

 

“Oh dear,” Yuna said, bringing a hand up to her cheek. “She didn't hear me.”

“Well,” Koji replied as he adjusted his tie. “I did tell her not to be late for school.”

“She must have gotten absorbed in her personal research again.” Yuna sighed. “Oh well. I suppose she can figure it out on her own.”

“She's a smart girl. Look at who her mother is.”

Yuna blushed slightly. “Flattery will get you nowhere. Now, get moving before you're late for work.” She shooed Koji out the door.

“I'm goin'! I'm goin'!” He laughed. “See you tonight.”

Yuna waved to her husband as he entered his car and drove off to work. She then left for her own job, locking the front door behind her.

* * *

 

One mile, six hundred twenty-two feet. That's the distance from my house to the Neo Arcadia Higher Learning Academy. That's also the distance I just sprinted in order to get here as soon as I possibly could. I didn't even bother to slow down until the Academy's front gates were in sight. Thankfully, other students were pouring onto the property. Looks like I made it in time.

Just as I placed my hands on my knees and bend over to start puking out my lungs, my personal phone started to ring. I've got this sweet ringtone on my phone. I swear, if my life ever got to be cool enough that I could have a theme song, my ringtone would totally be it. Anyway, I looked at the ID on my phone to see who was calling.

'Her', it simply said. I smiled big time as I answered it.

“City morgue,” I said.

“Oh good,” the voice on the other side answered. “I was wondering if you had my best friend's social life checked in?”

“Quiet, you.” I looked around. “Where are you, anyway?” I suddenly felt an arm wrap itself tightly around my neck. Not tight enough to hurt or anything, but tight enough to keep me in place.

“Right here,” my friend said with a smile on her face. Can't really say that's unusual. She almost always wore a smile. It was like the thing was plastered onto her face. “So then,” she said, pushing something lightly into my spine. I figured it was her phone, since nothing else made sense. “What now?”

Without much thought, I then proceeded to stomp on her foot. She yelped in pain, and the arm around my neck loosened just enough for me to get my hands securely on it. Once I had a firm grip, I executed the sweetest shoulder toss I've ever done. At least, it would've been if my best friend hadn't managed to land on her feet and spin around like it was nothing.. We stared each other down, smiles still on our faces. Neither of us really cared about the looks we were getting from other students. At least we were tame this time. These greetings usually turn into an impromptu sparring match between us.

“Morning, Ibuki.” I finally said after an eternity of silence.

“Mornin', chick.” She said.

Meet my best friend, Ibuki Yamisaki. She's about the same size as me, only about an inch or two taller. She's got insanely long, jet black hair and eyes that are piercing when you look into them, even when she's having fun. I suppose that has to do with the fact that she's, oh, I don't know, a ninja. I don't mean one of those friends that always seems to sneak up on you when you least expect them and scare you by putting their hands on your shoulders and shouting “Boo!” No, I mean the people who are trained to hide in the shadows and wait for you to drop your guard before they jump out of seemingly nowhere and kick your butt in ways so cool it's almost impossible to describe. Or see.. She's been one ever since she was born, pretty much.  I even know where she trains. I'd tell you, heck, I can even show you, but that would require that you move to Neo Arcadia first. It's easy to get lost here.

Well, I've got some experience myself. You think I could take on a ninja and only walk away with some bruises without knowing how to defend myself? The answer is no. No I couldn't. I had to do some major convincing with my parents, but I got them to let me take karate classes, which I'd been doing for the past ten years. As a result, I can say proudly that I hold a brown belt. I'd be a black belt, but Ibuki kept beating me up before my belt tests, forcing me to miss them.

“So then,” Ibuki said, apparently snapping me out of some sort of trance. “First day of school, huh?”

I solemnly nodded. “Yep. Not going to be fun at all.”

“Did you finish your homework?” She asked, eyeing me like some sort of criminal.

“Of course I did.” I scoffed. “What do you take me for, some sort of delinquent?”

“That's something we should talk about later.” She joked. I curled my lip in a mocking manner.

“Quiet, you.” I looked at my phone. The clock on it said 8:25. Ten minutes before classes started. “We should get going. It's not gonna look good if we're late for class on our first day.”

“True.”

I pulled my schedule out of my uniform pocket. Ugh, our uniforms. It's bad enough that they want everyone dressing in a similar way to mask our individuality, but they want everybody dressing the exact same way. We girls didn't even get a different outfit from the boys. We were all forced to wear red blazers with a yellow button-down and red tie. The red slacks and yellow formal shoes only make the whole outfit look even more ridiculous on us. I mean, red and yellow? Really? It didn't work for Daredevil in those classic paper texts they called “comic books,” and it doesn't work for us right now.

“Well, I'm off. Later, ninja girl.” I say, darting off before she has a chance to respond. She wouldn't have said anything anyway. She'd have just punched me in the arm for calling her that. Then I would've punched her for punching me. Then it would've devolved into one of our impromptu sparring matches which would usually result in her beaming over me while I nurse some new bruise on my arm or leg.

Did I mention that my best friend was a ninja? And I'm totally not? Just a brown belt in karate?

Man, I wish my something cool would happen in my life.


	2. Episode 1: Part 2

Episode 1: Power Up! Part 2  
4:30 PM  
  
Sheesh. School was br-r-r-rutal. Most of my teachers just droned on about what we were expected to learn over the school year. Most of the material doesn't seem too hard, but the chemistry class was going to beat me silly. I never was very good with the sciences. The history class looked promising. We were going to go over the Neo Arcadian War in depth. I could hear more about my hero, Zero. Huh. Odd word combination.  
  
Lunch wasn't too bad.  I didn't really meet anybody new, but then again, I didn't really put myself out there. It's not so much that I'm antisocial, but early on in the school year, I prefer to focus more on the scholastic aspect of the educational process. Once the first week passes, though, bookworm Iris goes out the window in favor of assertive Iris.  
  
School ended at three, but my day of learning doesn't end there. Once the desk classes are done, the self-defense classes start. It's only about an hour a day, three days a week, but I tend to stay after and practice a bit longer. I did have to make up for all the times I missed my black belt exams, after all. Darned Ibuki. If it wasn't for her, I'd have it by now and my sensei would stop breathing down my neck about it.  
  
I stood in the middle of the dojo with my feet together, breathing heavily. Sweat formed a thin layer on my forehead. It was a good workout this time. I felt like I accomplished more than I usually did, though I'm not sure why. Everything seemed normal, though I noticed I could get a touch more height on my kicks. Maybe that's why I felt good about myself.  
  
I took a deep breath, clearing my mind of any thoughts. With another deep breath, I bent forward at the waist, showing my respect. I was alone in the dojo, (my sensei trusts me with the keys and tells me to lock up when I leave) but that's no reason not to act like I'm still in class. I take my martial arts training very seriously, thank you very much.  
  
I straightened up, finishing my bow. I took one final deep breath before a smile grew on my face. I can be normal me again. Or so I thought. Once I turned around to grab my stuff and change, I noticed a familiar shape leaning against the front door. My eyes narrowed.  
  
“Leaving so soon?” Ibuki asked with a hint of amusement in her voice. She was wearing an outfit I came to hate. It was something like a brown bodysuit that went baggy around her legs. A brown cloth wrapped itself around her head. She didn't wear any shoes. She never did when she dressed like that. Copious amounts of tape were wrapped around her feet and shins instead. A slightly oversized black undershirt stood out against the rest of her outfit. The most evil smirk sat on her face. I knew what she wanted.  
  
“I was planning on it, yeah.” I answered. “I do need to get home in one piece you know.”  
  
“Afraid I'll break you?” She sneered.  
  
My eyebrow twitched. “No, but I hate having to explain my bruises to my parents.”  
  
She snickered as she walked up to me. A grin of my own formed. “You're not letting me go, are you?”  
  
Ibuki pulled a black cloth over her nose, covering it along with her mouth. I couldn't exactly see it, but I knew her smile never left her face. “Since when do I let you go?” She asked as she took a step back, taking up a fighting stance.  
  
I stepped back with my left foot as I took up my own stance. Moments of silence passed, neither of us moving an inch. We stared each other down, waiting for the right moment to act. It seemed like forever. Not a single sound could be heard, from inside or out. Our breathing slowed  to almost inaudible levels.  
It felt like something out of an old movie. All we needed were some dramatic camera cuts back and forth between our eyes. A car eventually passed by outside before Ibuki charged, fist pulled back. I held my ground, ready to end my losing streak.  
  
7:15 PM  
I dragged myself into my house. Not really caring about what my parents had to say, I kicked off my shoes, dropped my book bag next to the door and let my tired, aching body fall onto the couch in our living room. I was sore all over. My hands and feet throbbed, and I was sure I had some new bruises on my arms. I groaned both in pain and frustration. I couldn't believe it. Just when I thought I had her, she managed to pull out yet another win. And, to make things worse, Ibuki dragged me around town while she tried to figure out what she wanted for her victory meal.  
  
Where did the fight go wrong? Was it the punch I aimed at her nose, only for her to duck under it and deliver an uppercut to my jaw? Was it the shoulder toss I slammed her with, only for her to roll through and send a kick right into my stomach? The high kick at her head, which she blocked and countered into the most painful ankle lock I've ever felt?  
  
I groaned again. I didn't want to think about my latest loss. I didn't want to think about my significantly lighter wallet. I didn't want to think about the fit mom and dad were going to have upon seeing me home late again. Mom should be starting dinner soon, meaning she's going to expect me to run out to the store and get some last-minute supplies. She's then going to see me in my exhausted condition and proceed to yell in one of my ears and watch as my brain flies out the other. Then she'll drag dad into it, who'll proceed to scoop up my brain, force it back into my head, and yell it out the opposite ear.  
  
Speaking of which, why wasn't there any yelling? I didn't hear anything coming from the kitchen, and the ratting from Dad's keyboard couldn't be picked out from the silence either. Weird. Dragging myself to my feet, I stalked to the kitchen, only to see it empty. Just as I turn to search the rest of the house, I noticed a small note attached to the refrigerator. I read the note:

* * *

_Iris._  
_Your father and I are going to be home late. Find something to eat and get to bed on time._  
  
_Love,_  
_Mom._

* * *

  
  
Great. Home alone. I considered setting some traps, in case something went horribly wrong and criminals tried to break in and steal everything of value. Deciding against that, I started exploring my home.  
  
What? I didn't introduce you to my house? Well, I could use an intro, too. See, my mom and dad's jobs pay pretty well, so we bought and moved into this house the week before. I haven't really gotten a chance to get to know it yet. It's a two story home, with the living room, kitchen, and a half-bath, half laundry room on the ground level. The second room has the three bedrooms in the house. It's not large, but it's big enough to fit a family of four, with the adults getting the master bedroom while the kids get the others each.  
  
I decided to take in the silence and wonder what kinds of stories these walls would tell if they could. I often interrogate the walls of my home, not really expecting them to answer me. Mom and dad think it's weird. I guess I could see where they were coming from. I'd wonder about my daughter if I found her with a clipboard and pen in hand while asking the wall where it was on the night of August 14th.  
  
As I walked next to the stairs that led upstairs, I lightly dragged my fingers on the wall. The paint job on the walls were slightly raised in some places, giving it that aged look. It's not so much the look I like as it is the feeling of the paint along my fingers.  
  
I was too absorbed in the feeling, though, so I didn't notice when a small green square started to flash on the wall. I did, however, hear the distinct sound of steel shifting. I whipped my head around to see what was going on. A rectangular opening, just large enough for a grown man to fit through, stood where a wall once did. Peeking through, I noticed that a set of stairs led down, below ground. As far as I knew, we didn't have a basement or anything.  
  
I thought for a few moments. There's a reason why these stairs are hidden. There's probably a reason why I didn't know about this beforehand, too. It had to be a really good reason, which stroked my curiosity. Now, the question I face was thus: Do I try to close whatever door I managed to open? Or do I slake my curiosity, go down and find out what secret is being hidden down there? I had to think carefully. On the one hand, I could figure out exactly how I opened this door, close it, act like nothing happened, then let this eat at me until I could find another opportune time to check it out. On the other hand, I could just get it out of the way now and be satisfied with what I find.  
  
I took a deep breath, making up my mind. I took the first step down the stairs. At the time, though, I didn't know that it was the step that would change my life forever.  
  
The stairs were longer than I thought. They led for what had to be nearly thirty feet underground, small lights illuminating the path in front of me. Once I made it to the bottom, I found myself in a dark room. The lights from the staircase weren't bright enough for me to see what was in the room, so I groped around on the walls in search of a light switch. Once I found it, I dragged my finger across it, turning on the lights. I did not see what I saw when the lights came on.  
  
The room was much, much larger than I was expecting. People could come down here and throw an aerial disc around if it weren't for the various computers littering the place. Considering the sheer number of computers in the room, I wondered if this was supposed to be a control room of some kind. A large television screen was embedded into the far wall. The computers all came to life, data of some kind scrolling across the screens. I didn't bother to try and read any of it. It was just going to go over my head anyway. Looking around, I saw something that made me take in the sharpest breath I'd ever taken in.  
  
Two cases stood against the wall that housed the stairs, slightly raised by a pedestal underneath each. That wasn't too great. What they held, however, was another matter. In one case was a set of bright red armor. My heart flipped upon seeing it. I couldn't believe it. The armor sitting in this case was the same armor I had seen in my Internet research. The armor that appeared in so many pictures on so many historical websites. The armor that belonged to a man I could only dream of meeting.  
  
Zero's armor.  
  
I lightly traced my fingers over the glass that housed the armor. The red, blue, white and gold on the armor shone brightly. Someone clearly cared for it. It didn't even look like it was used in a war, let alone centuries old.  
  
Why didn't mom and dad tell me about this? When did they come across Zero's armor? Why isn't this in a museum. And more importantly, why didn't my parents tell me about this?! I fawned over the armor. My eyes watered as I soaked in the fact that the armor of the legendary Crimson Knight himself was locked away and well maintained under my freaking house! I swear, if someone took a picture of me at that moment, they would be taking a picture of the perfect example of a fangirl's dream coming true.  
  
Tearing my eyes away from Zero's armor was the hardest thing I've ever done. Harder than trying to convince Ibuki to let me take my black belt test for once. And I tried. She wouldn't have it. It was once I looked away from the armor that I noticed the other case. I stepped in front of it and twisted my face a bit in confusion.  
  
The other case also held a set of armor, similar in style to Zero's. The main differences in this one, though, were the colors it had. It was mostly dark purple in color. The helmet shared the purple tone, with part of it in black, creating a nice color blend. A large green, triangular gem sat in the center of the forehead. Traces of red formed lines around the armor, standing out against the darker shades.  
  
Looking back and forth between the sets, I noticed another major difference. The darker colored armor was smaller than the other one. I wondered who it belonged to. It had to have been someone either related to or close to Zero. Thing was, though, was that nothing I could remember from my research said anything about Zero having a sister or girlfriend or wife or anything like that. I tapped my chin in thought, trying to figure out who it could've belonged to. There weren't any real significant Resistance soldiers I could think of besides Zero and the Four Guardians. Dr. Ciel wasn't a fighter. Her sister, Alouette, was too young to do anything on the field. So...who?  
  
Wait. I leaned my head to the side a bit and squinted slightly. Something seemed odd. The second armor...was it...my size? No way. It couldn't be. I was just seeing things. I did imagine wearing it, though. I pictured myself in my head, striking with a saber in my hands, just like Zero would. Man, that would be so cool to do.  
  
Deciding that they hadn't gotten me into enough potential trouble, my fingers danced lightly on the glass case holding the darker armor. A small green light to the side started flashing. I panicked as the glass parted down the middle as a sharp hiss filled the otherwise silent room. The case was opening, and I was hoping and praying that mom and dad weren't home yet. Darting to the staircase, I looked up in expectation. After a few moments of nothing happening, I decided that they weren't home. Good.  
  
I ran back to the twin cases. The case for the dark armor still sat open, as if waiting for something. I stared at the armor. Something inside me wanted to try it on. Just to see if it fit.  
  
Go on, it teased. You know you want to.  
  
Quiet, you. You've gotten me into enough trouble as it is. Although, it was extremely tempting. And it's not like I couldn't cover up the fact that I was here. All I need is to use a little glass cleaner, flip a switch, and figure out how to close the door. See there? Poetry.  
  
I reached out and let my fingers graze against the helmet. It felt smooth. Really smooth. Almost like there was some kind of thin invisible layer between my fingers and the paint. It must've been waxed or something. I brought my fingers back. I shouldn't be doing this. I shouldn't even be down here. A quick run up- and downstairs and it would be like I was never there.  
  
Before I could make up my mind, though, the green gem on the helmet shone for a moment. I thought it might've been from the light, catching at just the right angle, but as I think about it now, somehow I don't think that was it. I think it might've been the armor itself calling out to me.  
  
Whatever it was, it was all the convincing I needed. I reached out with both hands and grasped the helmet. I lifted it from the hook it was hanging from and, with the deepest breath I'd ever taken, turned it around and gently set it on my head.  
  
I scrunched my brows in mild disappointment. I shook my head a bit, revealing my concern. The helmet was loose, too big for my head. Sighing, I reached up to take the helmet off. I never got the chance. Before I knew it, the gem on the helmet lit up, casting a green light over the rest of the armor. The helmet then started to adjust itself to my head, causing me to panic harder than I ever have. It didn't take long, though, before the helmet was snug against my head.  
  
That's enough for me, I thought. I'm putting this thing back before I'm grounded for the rest of eternity.  
  
My hands grasped the sides of the helmet, hoping to get the thing off me. I pushed, but grunted in pain a bit. The helmet didn't move. I gave it another try. No go this time either. I kept at it, trying to take the helmet off. Try as I might, though, the thing was more stubborn than I gave it credit for.  
  
I sighed again, wondering if I'd ever breathe normally tonight. Well, here we are. I have a sweet looking black-and-purple helmet on my head that absolutely refuses to work with me and come off. I looked over the rest of the armor, wondering if I should just finish the job. I shrugged. Might as well. I stepped up to the rest of the armor, watching as something in the case automatically ushered it out as I did.  
  
How do I put this stuff on? I asked myself. I searched it over, looking for a way to do so. I noticed that the backs of each piece were open, making it easy to slide into it. Well, here we go...  
  
I stepped behind the set and took a step forward, fitting myself into the open sections. The armor suddenly closed itself around my limbs and chest, making me jump slightly. A sort of black bodysuit formed over the exposed sections of my body, which were mainly my joints and neck. I took another deep breath. I picked my hand up to admire the way the whole thing looked on me. I moved around pretty easily, despite the fact that I had plenty of extra weight on me.  
  
Something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. A small blue square lit up in the corner of the room. One of the computer screens flashed the words “TRANS SERVER READY” in red and yellow. I stepped off, hearing the hiss from the case again as it sealed itself. Wondering what a “Trans Server” was, I walked up to the blue square in curiosity.  
  
Well, I thought to myself, let's see how much more trouble I can get into. With a smirk, I stepped onto the blue square. An odd tingling sensation ran through my body as my vision faded.


	3. Episode 1: Part 3

It was the weirdest feeling. Everything tingled for what felt like forever. Everything faded to black. I wasn't sure what was happening. Did I make some kind of mistake and end up disintegrating every part of my body? Did my story end before it had a chance to start?

Before I had time to mull over those questions, lights in all sorts of colors began flashing before my eyes. The weirdest, yet best light show I'd ever seen was playing out in front of me. It was as if I was on some crazy stuff, even though I've never considered doing anything like that. That being drugs, of course. Mom, dad, Ibuki and sensei would all destroy me if I did anything like that. It was the strangest thing I'd ever seen.

The colors faded again, this time giving way to the darkness of night. Stars dotted the sky as I realized where I was. Looking around, I saw the lights of the city all around me. I was on a rooftop somewhere downtown. I had no idea how I got there, but I was willing to do it again, just to see that awesome light display again.

The lights from the street barely reached me up here, casting shadows along my dark armor. I lifted my hand again, playing with the dim light as it shone off the armor. I could barely see in front of me, a point made clear by the fact that in trying to move forward, I ended up nearly tripping over the edge of the building I was on and breaking my neck.

Smooth one, Iris. Real smooth.

I managed to regain my balance before splattering myself over the sidewalk below. Stepping back into the middle of the roof, I noticed there was a small blue square pulsing in the ground. I guess that's where I popped up, since the square matched the color of the square back at the secret base.

That's what I call it. Since it looks like some kind of high-tech base hidden under my house and all.

Anyway, I figured that if I stepped back onto the square, it might lead me back. I made a mental note of where it was. I was going to take this armor out for a test run and I wanted to know where I needed to go in order to get home.

Spinning on my heels, I looked around for the nearest building to move to so that I could have an open place to practice without worrying about accidentally going home.

Unfortunately for me, the nearest place was a good distance away. Walking over the edge, I got a good idea of how far away the next spot was, and how long I would have to consider how huge of a mistake it was to try and make a leap from one seven-story building to another.

I took a deep breath, and started walking backwards slowly. The idea was ridiculous. My rationalization was even worse. I'm a martial artist. I've put plenty of work into strengthening my legs. Why wouldn't I make it? It was only, what, seven-eight feet? I could make that jump in my sleep.

In a dream, maybe.

No! Now's not the time for negative thinking! I just have to close my eyes, take a deep breath, and go for it. Once I calmed my nerves, I started running. The rooftop I was on was pretty small, so I didn't build up as much momentum as I wanted, but once I was at the edge, I pushed off as hard as I could to try and clear the gap.

Boy, did I clear it.

I flailed my limbs about as I sailed through the air and clear over my target. I started to panic, thinking there wasn't anything that could change my fate. Except maybe the ground below acting like rubber and bouncing me off to keep me from going kersplat. That was before I noticed the roof just past the one I wanted to get to. Bracing myself, I expected a hard landing. Steel isn't the softest substance in the world, and just about every building in town is made primarily of the stuff.

My landing was a lot softer than I thought it was going to be. I landed easily on my feet, crouching low to absorb the force of the impact. I sat there for a couple of moments, trying to absorb what happened in my mind.

In all honestly, I was supposed to barely make it, forcing me to catch myself on the edge and pull myself up before I met my doom. I was not supposed to jump way over my target and, as a result, sit here and think about the jump I wasn't supposed to make.

I looked down at my legs, wondering exactly how much strength they had in them. Maybe the suit had something to do with my leap? I don't recall ever jumping that high in my life. Deciding to give it a try, I tensed my legs in preparation for another one.

I pushed straight up off the roof, and holy cats! I went up, and up, and up and didn't think I'd ever come down! Looking straight forward, I could see in front of me for at least a mile or two. Lights from the city continued down for what seemed like forever. I scanned the area in front of me as I rose. Maybe I could figure out where exactly I was.

A few hundred feet away was a lit mass of steel and heavy equipment. It was the new theme park the city had been working on for the past couple of years. Yeah, despite our incredible advancements in every field of technology possible, construction still takes forever. It was supposed to open this year.

Further down was the massive tower that marked the center of our fair city. The Neo Arcadian headquarters of the world renowned pharmaceutical company, Berkana Industries. The company settled itself in our town several years following the end of the Biometal Era that saw the defeats of both Serpent Slither, CEO of Slither, Inc. and Albert Waller, the creator of the first Biometal that threatened the world. Once Slither went down, his company went bankrupt almost immediately and the tower that housed the company was abandoned.

Shortly after Slither, Inc. went out of business, the filthy-rich, infinitely famous Berkana family moved into the building, bringing their company and the profits from their medical manufacturing with them. I can't say that being here was a negative point, since the Berkana family was noted not only for being able to swim in the money they make, but for spreading the wealth. They helped rebuild the city after the Biometal Era left it in virtual ruins. I guess we as a city owe them big time if you think about it.

As I began my decent back to the building I jumped from, I couldn't help but wish I could have the kind of money that the Berkanas had. Millions upon millions of Zenny, just waiting for me to spend it. A huge smile crossed my face as the thoughts played out in my mind. It would be the sweetest thing in the world.

However, much like my physical body, my thoughts came back to earth as I hit the rooftop. Another low crouch kept anything from hurting from the landing. I knew for sure after that jump; my natural strength didn't lift me that high. The armor was enhancing my physical abilities. At least, my legs were being pumped.

I stood up straight just as a hard gust of wind shoved me in the back. My hair, which hung under my helmet since there was no way I was ever going to get it to fit inside, whipped around my head and slapped me in the face. A few strands found their way to my lips, trying to get inside and give me a bad taste that wouldn't go away for a long time. I went to brush the hair from my face when I noticed a change that I hadn't seen before. My hair changed colors. Gone was the brown hue that separated me from my parents when the sheer length of it wasn't factored in. The strands that rested in between my fingers were blonde. I guess the helmet had something to do with it, but I wasn't sure how it worked.

Curiosity set in again. Sure, I'm already history when mom and dad get home, so let's take it a step further and get my money's worth, shall we? Let's see...my hair's a new color...I can jump higher and farther than I ever have before...what else can this thing do?

Before I can test out anything else, the sound of glass shattering broke the relative silence of the night. An alarm klaxon blared loudly, drawing the attention of nearby citizens to the source of the sound. A small computer store apparently had an infestation problem, because when I peered over the edge of the building I was on to see what was happening, several armored scumbags, humans and Reploids alike, poured out of the shop carrying numerous pieces of equipment with them.

Oh, these guys were not trying to pull off a heist in this city. They're seriously asking for it.

As if it either read my mind or analyzed the situation, my helmet reacted accordingly. A metallic mask formed over me, covering my mouth and nose while leaving only my eyes exposed. The face mask shared the same color pattern as the rest of my armor; the majority of it was black while a dark purple column ran down the middle. I smiled under the mask. Now was the best time to give this thing the test drive it deserved.

All the morons ran in the same direction, making it easy to cut them off. I ran after them along the roofs, somehow figuring out how to control my leaps. Good thing, because keeping them under control made it easy for me to keep from being discovered. I kept following them, curious to see where they were going.

People along the route watched the spectacle the thieves made in disbelief. It wasn't every day that one saw a convoy of criminals parading down the street carrying goods that weren't theirs to begin with and probably wouldn't be if they did things the right way.

The crooks kept running, moving for what seemed like miles due to the many twists and turns they made. The police weren't exactly on top of things, meaning that I was tailing these guys on their own. Cool. They eventually came to a stop in an alley around a mile away from the store they robbed. Gathering around in a circle, the morons dropped their lifted loot and admired what they'd stolen. I stopped on the rooftop just above them. When I looked over the edge, they looked like they were saying something, but I couldn't tell what. I focused hard on their lips, trying to read them. Again, my helmet must've been clairvoyant, because a set of microphones and speakers fired up, letting me hear what they had to say.

"Check this stuff out," one said. "This is awesome!"

"No kidding," another answered. "We got some sweet stuff this time."

A third spoke up. "Think about the kind of havoc we could create if we use this stuff right!"

"Who cares?" Number four. "I betcha we could sell this stuff for a pretty Zenny."

"Ka-ching, boys." Five, this one a female. The way she spoke, I guessed she was the leader of this little group. "This is serious ka-ching."

"So, boss," the first guy said to her. Yep, she was the leader. "What're we gonna do with all this swag?"

'Swag?' Who says something like that anymore? I gagged a bit. That was the most ridiculous thing I'd ever heard.

"Half and half, boys." She said. "Half of this stuff goes on the market. Namely the low-end stuff. The good goods stay with us. Get us the right computer geek, and we can bring this city to its knees. These people are gonna regret forgetting about who we are!  
Nobody'll ignore us ever again!"

"You're not being ignored now!" I called out before I could stop myself. My voice obviously projected itself clearly, because five heads snapped up in my direction. The crooks stared at me. I stared back down at them. Moments passed in sheer silence with not a single soul moving.

Great, I thought to myself. Now what do I do? I shouldn't have opened my big mouth!

"Who the heck are you?" The leader screamed. She clearly was not thrilled about me being there. That's when I realized that I had another problem.

I hadn't picked a name.

Oh smeg, my overactive mind decided to say. What do I say? What do I say? WHAT DO I SAY?  
I said the first thing that came to mind.

"I don't think that matters right now."

Deciding that it was the best time to do so, I gracefully leapt into the air. Flipping around a couple of times, I landed on my feet a short distance away from the group.

"What matters is that you're going to return everything you've taken."

More silence. I could swear some passer-by whistled Dixie as he walked down the street. Once the whistling was out of earshot, the robbers all started laughing their heads off. I could feel my face fall as the laughter continued for what felt like...for...ev...er.

Great. They're not taking me seriously.

Once the leader's cackling died down, she found the ability to speak. "A..a...aha!...and what'll you do if we don't?"

I made what I felt to be a big mistake at the time.

"I'll make you." I forced my eyes to narrow slightly in an attempt to look more intimidating. I didn't think it worked, and a second roar of laughter confirmed it.

The leader's laughter died down before her cohorts, allowing her to get a good look at my face. She apparently noted the fact that I hadn't budged because her eyes widened slightly in surprise. She held up a hand, signaling the others to quiet down. Which they did, those sheep.

"You're serious?" She asked as her smile faded.

"Why shouldn't I be?" I replied, trying to sound cool. Man, I sure seem to be trying a lot of things tonight, don't I?

"Look, kid," she said. "First off, you need to take some more math classes. I mean, there's five of us and only one of you. How did you plan on making us do anything?"  
My eyebrow twitched slightly. She had a point.

"Secondly, the police wouldn't believe you if you told them anything. Look at you. You're a joke trying way too hard to be taken seriously."

My brow twitched again. A joke? Really?

"Thirdly," her smile returned. "GET HER!"

My eyes widened as the five suddenly jumped up and circled around me. Wicked grins sat on all their faces. This is what I get for having such a big mouth and not being able to keep it quiet. I looked around, trying to find a way to escape. I could try jumping back onto the roof I was on, but I doubted that I could make it back up. Seeing no way out, I took a step back and fell into a fighting stance.

"Someone's gonna get hurt real bad..." They chanted over and over. They'd clearly practiced this before. It made me wonder exactly how long these guys had been doing the whole breaking-in-and-stealing-things game and how many people they might've hurt doing it. I was so not interested in being their next victim.

One of the goons leaped forward, throwing a punch at my head. Thanks to my many years of training, I expertly blocked his attack and shot my own fist into his abdomen. He doubled over in pain, allowing me to take his still extended arm and twist it in a large circle, forcing him to flip over on his back.

Unfortunately, I forgot that this was more than one-on-one and was given a painful reminder when one of the others rammed me from behind. I stumbled forward and slammed face-first into the side of a building. I manged to bounce off the wall and into another thug. A hard punch sent me reeling into another of them. It kept going just like that, as hit after hit kept bouncing me from one to another.

One of them tried to get cute and kick me. I managed to catch his leg with one arm and slammed the back of my fist into his face with the other, sending him to the ground. Seeing his friend, I guess, take a hit, another one sprang into action and jumped on my back. He wrapped his arm around my neck and squeezed as hard as he could, trying to choke the life out of me. I tried to pull his arm off of me, but he only tightened his hold and made it that much harder to breathe. I could hear the others cheering him on.

Everything started to fade out. I needed to get this guy off me and fast, before I pass out. Finally remembering my training, I jammed my elbow into his side as hard as I possibly could. His arm loosened around my as he cried out in pain. Another elbow to the side finally convinced him to let me go. He clutched his side in agony as I fell over and coughed on sweet air. Before I had a chance to recover, however, the rest of the group circled me again.

"Well," the leader started. "This certainly has been fun, but we really need to get going." She looked at the biggest person in the group. And this guy was huge. He had to be at least 300 pounds in weight. "Put her to sleep." She ordered.

The tank nodded as a grin formed. I struggled to get to my feet, still wanting to catch my breath. My right hand groped at the air behind me, hoping to find something I could use to fend him off. When I reached around my waist, I felt my fingers graze something sticking out of my back.

Please, I thought as I grabbed it, let this be something useful. I yanked at it hard.  
Boy, it was useful alright.

I circled my arm around and held whatever-it-was in front of me. It turned out to be a sweet-looking sword. The hilt was as black as the majority of my armor. The blade itself was jade in color, as I found out later. Looking at it, you could easily see through the blade, which was the length of my forearm. I know that because when I pulled the sword out, the hilt was apparently backwards and the blade ran along my arm. It wasn't that  
long, but it was enough to make the tank take a step back in hesitation.

"D'uh, boss?" He said. I'm going to take a wild guess and say he wasn't that bright. "She's goda knife on her. Whudo I do?"

My eye twitched. Knife? Anyone with half a brain, which this guy clearly doesn't, could see that the weapon in my hand was a sword that's apparently made of awesome.

"Who cares?" The leader shouted. "Just finish her off so we can get to work!"

"D'uh, alright den." He turned back to me and took a step toward me.

Big mistake. All I have to do is take this sword and...wait. I don't know how to handle a sword! I've never practiced with one before!

Before I knew it, though, the tank was on the ground behind me, rolling around in pain. I didn't bother to turn around. By the way the guy was groaning, I knew he was done for the night. The others looked at me, fright plastered across every face.

"H-h-how did you do that?" One of them almost screamed. He was scared silly.

I looked at my hand for a moment as I answered him as honestly as I could:

"I wish I knew."

They couldn't see it, but a huge smile formed on my face. Handling one of these things was apparently easier than I thought. I fell back into my fighting stance, sword still backwards in my hand.

"Anybody care to help me figure it out?"

Leader Lady fumed. Her biggest goon was taken down by someone who didn't know what they were doing. She was probably embarrassed. Heck, I would be too if I were her.

"GET HER!" she screamed. The rest of the group fell in on me, like the sheep I figured they were. I mean, they just saw me take down their biggest, possibly strongest ally and they're still charging me because she said to? Poor guys.

I leaped forward, closing the distance between me and the first guy I saw. I slashed at him with the sword, causing sparks to fly off his armor with each hit. One final swipe across the chest sent him spinning to the ground in a shower of light and heat. Another tried to get me from behind. No way I was falling for that again. I spun around to meet him and gave him a couple quick tastes of my sword, bringing him down quickly. Another came at me from my left, foolishly screaming as he did. My left hand instinctively reached behind me and yanked a second sword from behind my back, catching him across the abdomen as I brought it around.

I looked around a bit to see if anyone else was going to try and attack me. The four I had just taken down all rolled around and groaned, their butts summarily kicked. All that were left standing were me and an absolutely livid Leader Lady.

"YOU IDIOTS!" she screamed. "WHAT AM I PAYING YOU FOR?"

"You're paying these guys?" I asked sarcastically. "I'd demand my money back."

"Shut up, you! Who are you, anyway?"

"I told you; that doesn't matter right now." I smiled as I shifted myself into a new stance. I crossed my arms in front of me with my right over my left, allowing both backward swords to run along my arms. "Now then, care to try your luck?"

She charged me in anger, a fist pulled back so that she could punch me once she was close enough.

She never had the chance.

A quick swipe with my right arm's sword sent her spiraling to the ground as sparks flew, making sure her face kept its appointment with the pavement. I couldn't believe how easy that was. How she even got to be Leader Lady was, and still is, beyond me.

I stood up straight, looking around to admire my work. The entire gang was on the ground in a collective heap of pain. None of the armor was badly damaged from what I could see, so I figured they were hurting more from the force of the hits.

A red pulsing light began flashing nearby. Finally, I thought. The police always seem to get to anywhere last. Remembering about the stolen items, I ran over to the small pile and checked on the items. Nothing seemed to be damaged, which was good. The items could be returned in perfect condition. A patrol car passed by, shining lights into the alleyways on both sides of the street. They had to have noticed me, because it quickly reversed and stopped at the end of the alley. A pair of officers stepped out, Buster Pistols drawn and trained on me.

"Don't move!" One screamed. I rolled my eyes as I returned the swords to where they belonged.

"Those," I pointed to the downed gang, "are the thieves you're looking for. The stuff they stole is nearby."

"Stop talking!" The officer shouted again. "You're under arrest."

My eyes widened. "For what? I did all the hard work for you! All you guys have to do is take them to jail and return the stuff they stole!"

"Yeah, sure." he said. "For all I know, you're part of this little group. Now put your hands behind your head."

"Oh please. I'm the one who kicked the snot out of these guys." I put my hands on my hips. "This is a great way to say 'thank you', by the way."

Both officers slowly advanced on me. "I said put your hands behind your head." The talker repeated. Once they were both a short distance away from their car, I saw my chance.

"Love to," I said. "But I've got an appointment that I can't afford to be late for." With that, I made a mad dash toward their car. I jumped on top, feeling the car shift underneath my weight. "See ya." I offered a quick salute before using the car to springboard up to the rooftops.

I could hear the talker shouting after me, though I didn't bother to listen. I smiled under my mask, proud of the work I did. I busted a gang of thieves and looked cool doing it. Except when I was the one taking hits, of course. Such a shame that nobody was there to see it. At least, nobody that isn't being loaded into a patrol car. Now, if only I could remember where that little blue square was...

I looked around, trying to figure out where exactly I was. As I searched, I noticed a pulsing column of blue light off in the distance. Leaping across the rooftops, I made my way toward the light.

Save the jokes for later, please.

I finally reached my destination, the light from the pulsing square washing over me. Welp, I mused. Time to go home, I guess. Maybe if I'm lucky, mom and dad won't be home yet and I can hide the fact that I stole this armor and stopped some thieves. Huh, that's ironic.  
I smiled as I stepped onto the square. As I thought, the tingly feeling flooded my skin again as everything disappeared from my sight. My smile grew as the light show played out in front of me. Looking down, I could see that I was in one piece as I teleported. I wondered why I didn't check things out the first time around. Pretty lights must've distracted me.

The show faded as a concrete floor formed around my feet. The blue square I saw in the secret base sat below my boots. I seriously wanted to take that trip again, just so I could see those lights again. That was when I made my biggest mistake of the night.

I looked up.

I saw two people standing before me. Each had the same look: a pair of glaring eyes, crossed arms and the biggest frowns I've ever seen.

"Uh..." I intelligently said. "...hi?"


	4. Episode 1: Final

Crud.

Mom and Dad were staring me down with the most irate expressions I've ever seen. They're even angrier than the time Ibuki and I had one of our impromptu sparring matches in the dining room at our last house and I ended crashing through the dining table in a failed attempt at flipping over her. I ended up being locked in my room for a month and was fed bread and water during that horrible time in my life.

Okay, so I'm exaggerating slightly. They gave me regular meals.

"Uh...hi?" I said, hoping they wouldn't notice the armor.

"Hello, Iris." Mom said, doing very little to hide the aggravation in her voice. "It's nice to see that you've figured out a way to entertain yourself while your father and I worked late."

"How did you guys know I was down here?" I asked stupidly. Dad thumbed toward the stairs.

"You left the door open." He said plainly. Oh yeah. Stupid question.

"Oh."

"Now then," he continued, just as irritated as Mom. "Would you care to explain not only what it is you think you're doing down here, but also how you managed to find this room in the first place?"

"Well," I answered nervously. "In all honesty, I don't know. I was just kinda roaming around and the door just kinda opened...?

"Right..." Mom said. "Because purposefully locked doors always magically manage to open themselves." I could almost _see_ the sarcasm dripping off of her words.

I held my hands up in defense "No, really! I was just kinda tracing my fingers on the wall and the next thing I knew a piece of the wall was gone and these stairs led down here!"

Dad shifted his weight around on his feet while Mom pinched the bridge of her nose.

"She ran her finger over the scanner..." Dad said, mostly to himself.

"You think?" Mom shouted. Now I was worried. The only time Mom _ever_ shouted was when she was working on the inside of a huge house and she needed to talk to someone from a distance away.

Wait. Scanner?

"Scanner?" I asked.

"Fingerprint scanner." Dad answered. "Other than a DNA sample, it's one of the most reliable methods of security in use today."

"So, why was I able to come down here if I didn't even know about the scanner to begin with?"

Mom rolled her eyes. "Take off that helmet before you say anything else."

"I don't know how?"

Mom rolled her eyes again before stepping forward and putting her hands on my head. Her thumbs found where the corners of my jaws would be and pushed up. I heard a small click and felt the helmet loosen its grip on my head. Mom picked up her hands, taking the headgear with them.

"How did you do that?" I asked as I rubbed my head, noticing that my hair had shifted back to its usual brown hue.

"Release buttons along the jawline." She said simply, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Thanks for making me feel smart, Mom.

"Now why are you wearing that armor?" Mom asked, still clearly irritated with me.

"I...uh...I..." Great. So much for my incredible linguistic skills under pressure.

"You...you...you...?" Mom repeated. I get it. You're mad. "You what?"

"I saw the armor sitting in that case over there." I pointed to where the suit's display case stood against the wall. "When I touched the glass on the case, it opened up and the armor moved out. I got a little curious and decided to try it on."

"Okay, then." Dad said. It seemed like he was calming down. "What were you doing beating up a gang of computer thieves?"

"Who said anything about computer thieves?" I asked, hoping they didn't see anything on TV.

Mom picked up a small remote on a nearby desk. She pointed it at the huge monitor on the far wall and turned it on. A news program popped up.

A _t approximately 8:45 this evening, "Starlight Systems," a computer shop in the city's business district, was broken into and robbed. Eyewitnesses stated that 5 people left the store with electronic goods in hand. Police investigated the matter and searched for the suspects for over an hour. Authorities were eventually able to locate the suspects one mile north of "Starlight Systems" on the ground along with the goods they were suspected of stealing. The perpetrators were found on the ground in pain, according to the Police Department, as a sixth figure stood over them. Police apprehended the robbery suspects and recovered over Twenty-five Thousand Zennies worth of electronic equipment. On-duty officers were unable to apprehend the sixth suspect, citing an inability to pursue the suspect after she leaped onto a building and made her escape. As it is a matter of investigation, police have not released the names of any of the six suspects, but have released a physical description of the suspect who was able to escape._

A picture of me in my armor came up on the screen. It was only a sketch, but it was pretty well done. I pursed my lips in amusement. I admit; I was impressed. I looked good.

_"The suspect appears to be a Reploid. She is female, appearing about 22 years in age, approximately 5 feet, 9 inches in height and approximately 175 pounds in weight."_

I felt a tick pop up on my forehead. I'm not seven years older than I was last year and I most certainly do _not_ weigh 175 pounds. Jerks.

_"The armor the suspect was wearing is black and purple with thin red accents. Police advise that she is armed and dangerous and that citizens should NOT attempt to apprehend her. Information about the suspect should be reported at-"_

Mom turned the display off and turned back to face me.

"Wait," I asked. "What time is it?"

Mom looked at her watch. "9:30."

"Wow...guess they're right about time flying when you're having fun." I mused. Mom looked at me wide-eyed.

"Fun?" She asked.

"Er...yeah..." I scratched the back of my head. "I kinda enjoyed kicking the tar out of those guys. It felt good stopping them from doing whatever it was they were going to do."

Mom brought her hand back up to her head. Instead of fighting off a headache, she cupped her cheek with it and chuckled. She turned to Dad, who looked as confused as I probably did.

"She's your daughter, alright." She said simply before sitting down at a computer, setting the helmet next to the monitor.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"Well, Iris," Dad started. "There's something about your mother and I that we haven't told you."

My eyebrow hitched. When did I walk into a bad TV show? "What?"

Dad simply smiled before he turned to Mom. "Think you can figure out what was stolen and what they could've used it for?"

Mom turned back to look at Dad. "Who do you think you're talking to?" She said with a smirk. She looked at the computer she was sitting in front of. "All I have to do is shake off a bit of rust."

The next few moments were of Mom doing the most amazing thing I think I could've ever seen Mom do. Her fingers began dancing over the keyboard. All kinds of computer code popped up on the screen, making my head spin just from looking at it.

"Wow," she said to herself. "I really _am_ rusty. I need to get some practice..."

"What are you doing?" I asked out of curiosity. My curiosity's gonna get me into some serious trouble some day.

"Oh, nothing much." Mom said in a sing-song-like voice. "Just hacking into the Neo Arcadian National Crime Registry."

My eyes bugged. "Hacking? Can you do that?"

"Not legally."

Before I knew it, the screen changed colors. The NANCR, for short, main page popped up, waiting for someone to log in. Mom typed in a few more illegal commands, making me wonder exactly how long she'd been doing stuff like this.

"Now then," she said. "To find the report that was filed for tonight's little escapade." Some more typing was done before she found what she wanted.

"Okay, let's see..." She paused for a moment as she looked over the list. "High-end tech. Top of the line processors, drives, video and sound cards. Either these guys were planning on creating some incredible gaming setups, or they were planning on selling this stuff."

My brows furrowed as a thought came to mind. Mom could hack with this stuff, and what they got was probably just a step down from what was in here...

"The guys that I stopped said something about making this town remember who they were. How much damage could you do if you were to get this stuff to a top-level computer geek?"

Mom turned to look at me with a raised eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"I-I-I mean 'expert'. I think."

"Hm..." She said as she thought. "I suppose if you got someone who knew what they were doing to get all of this together, you could wreak some serious havoc on the city's systems. Emergency Response, power grids, bank accounts and information...all of that could be copied, altered or destroyed pretty easily by an expert." She then smiled. "You stopped a potential terrorist ring before they could even get started. Good for you."

I smiled too. I didn't even know that kind of thing could happen with the stuff they grabbed. However, one more thing nagged at me.

"What did you mean when you said I was Dad's daughter."

"He liked kicking butt in his day."

I frowned. "What does that mean?"

"Well," Dad said. "What would you say if I told you that the armor that's in the other case used to be mine?"

"Huh? Yours? But that armor belonged to Zero, didn't it?" Dad just nodded as a smile grew on his face. "But then that would mean that..." Realization dawned on me. "You're Zero..."

I looked at Mom.

"Then that would make you..."

Mom turned around in her seat, a smile on her face as well.

"Ho-boy. I'm the daughter of the legendary Maverick Hunter and the Ciel System inventor..."

"Let's keep it our secret, shall we?" Mom said, placing a finger on her lips.

"So if you're Zero and Ciel, why did you guys disappear?"

"Because," Dad said. "Even though we led an entire Army for what we felt was, and turned out to be, the greater good, celebrity status isn't exactly appealing to us."

"We went into hiding because of all the media attention we were getting. We were swamped. Day and night. It got ridiculous. We couldn't have a moment to ourselves if we tried. And believe me, we tried."

"So you've been hiding as normal people this whole time?"

"Sixteen years of sweet peace." Mom said.

"Okay then." I said, slightly skeptical. "If that's Dad's armor over there, then who did this armor belong to?"

Mom smiled. "Not 'didn't', 'does'. It's _your_ armor." My brow went up again. "We've been building it just for you."

"You...were?" I asked. Something didn't sound right. "You built an entire set of armor just for me?"

"Yes." Dad said, nodding as he did. "You see, when Copy X and Dr. Weil were defeated a while ago, a new era began. The threat of false labeling came to an end and your mother's new energy system was just about finished. The Ciel System is the most reliable Reploid energy system ever created. While the overall goal behind the Neo Arcadian Resistance Army was to overthrow the Neo Arcadian government, another idea was to stall for time while your mother perfected it."

"They did an excellent job," Mom added. "While most of the work I put into my experiments and research resulted in failed trials, the Ciel System was the culmination of all of our efforts. Thanks to the fall of Neo Arcadia's top leaders, new leaders were elected by the citizens of the nation to spearhead the restoration not only of the country, but the entire world in a sense. Mavericks had all but disappeared from the face of the earth.

"Unfortunately, they hadn't _completely_ gone extinct. Reports of Maverick uprisings in various parts of the world came in, and the leaders of the nations came together to re-form the Maverick Hunter Corps in an effort to keep the damage to a minimum."

"Maverick sightings haven't been reported in Neo Arcadia," Dad said, turning the large display back on. The news report about my butt-kicking party replayed. "Until now, that is. The Maverick Virus had only affected Reploids in the past. However, humans can be convinced one way or the other pretty easily. Reports have only recently started coming in about Maverick attacks and other criminal activities."

"So, wait." I said, hoping to piece things together. "Those guys are Mavericks?"

"Probably not," Mom answered. "But I wouldn't doubt if one or two of them were and they just convinced the others to help them do some stuff they probably would've regretted later."

"So how many Maverick Hunters have been assigned to keep watch over us?" I asked.

"Well...I suppose we could give you a number..." Mom trailed off. I caught what she was saying right away.

"But you'd be lying to me, wouldn't you?"

"She's got your brilliant deduction skills," Dad joked. Mom shot him an unamused look.

"Yes." She turned back to look at me. "There haven't been any Hunters assigned to Neo Arcadia."

"The entire country?" I asked, shocked.

"None. We haven't needed the protection until now. It seems like the reports concerning Mavericks have been slowly on the rise over the past few months, and the Maverick Hunter Corps are stretched pretty thin. They can't assign someone to this area."

"So you guys want me to keep watch over the entire country and its hundreds of thousands of citizens?"

Mom stood up and picked the forgotten helmet up off the desk. "I know it's a lot to ask of you," she said as she walked up to me. "You're only sixteen, and you're just starting your Sophomore year in high school. You haven't taken your black belt test yet and you deserve to live your life the way you want to."

Great. She's trying to guilt trip me.

"I know it looks like we're baiting you into doing this," Dad said. "But your mother's right. It's your decision either way. We won't hold anything against you if you decide not to do this."

"To be honest," Mom. "We were hoping that this wouldn't happen for a few more years. That way, you could have a little stability in your life before making a decision this big. If you do this, your life won't be the same. You'll have a lot more responsibility on your shoulders. Not only will you have to keep up with all of your schoolwork and your classes, but you'll also have to be ready to go at any time in case there's a Maverick attack." She gently handed me the helmet, a stark contrast to the way she took it off.

"What do you say, Iris?" Dad asked. "I'd do it myself, but age doesn't treat Reploids that much better than humans and your mother isn't that big on fighting first hand."

I thought about it for a moment. My covered fingers grazed lightly over the helmet in my hands. It seemed like it was trying to say something to me too. As I turned the helmet, the light bounced off of the green gem on the forehead just right, making it shimmer brilliantly. I took a deep breath, my mind finally made up.

"Well, Iris?" Mom asked me.

"No." I could see Mom and Dad's shoulders slump slightly in disappointment. I turned the helmet around in my hands so that the back faced me.

"When I'm in this armor, my name isn't Iris." I continued. Their faces lit up. I settled the helmet on my head, feeling it readjust to my skull.

"So then," Mom said. "What are we supposed to call you?"

I closed my eyes and took another deep breath as the face mask once again hid my features. A moment later, I opened my eyes and said one simple word:

"Zero."


	5. Episode 2: The Hunt is On!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING! WARNING!
> 
> This episode begins the true destruction of Mega Man canon. See if you can find where the trail of debris starts.

**THE HUNT IS ON!**

My alarm clock never went off the next morning. I guess it was a good thing. Last night's escapade left me completely drained and in a lot more pain than I had expected. It must have been the adrenaline numbing the pain, because when I eventually managed to drag myself out of bed I was so sore I questioned whether or not I should take an ice bath and go back to bed.

"Iris? Are you awake yet?" Dad asked as he once again rudely poked his head into my room. I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, Dad. I'm awake. Thanks for knocking, by the way."

"Let's watch the sarcasm, shall we?"

"Sorry, Dad." I moaned, the discomfort of my new bruises setting in. "What time is it, anyway?" I looked at my clock. 11:45 AM. School started almost three-and-a-half hours ago.

Wait! What?

I started panicking. I was so totally late that there wouldn't be any forgiveness from anybody who bothered to notice. Which, by the way, would be everybody.

"I can't believe it's almost noon!" I screamed, running around my room to find my absolutely gaudy school uniform. "Why didn't you or Mom wake me up?"

"We thought you could use the sleep. You were out pretty late last night stopping a crime in progress, after all." I could almost see a smile on Dad's face as he said that.

"But what about school?" I cried. "I'm so history that I might as well not even show my face around there again lest Ibuki get a hold of me!"

"Don't worry about that. Your mother already called the school and got you the day off." Dad said. A brow slightly rose on my forehead.

"Did she really call?" Skepticism dripped from my lips. "Or did she use those 'L337 H4X0R' skills to dig up some dirt on someone there?"

I never saw my mom walk up behind my dad.

"First off, young lady, don't talk that way." She said, slightly upset. "That 'chatspeak' stuff went out decades ago and is embarrassing to anybody who uses a computer. Second, yes. I _did_ call. I just used one of your sick days to get you today off. Besides, we've got somewhere to be today?"

I looked at her confused. "We do?"

Mom nodded. "Yes. Take your time getting dressed. Those bruises aren't going to feel too comfortable in the shower."

She was right. The feeling of water beating against the bruises was brutal. It was probably the quickest shower I've ever taken. I even had to get in a second time because Mom didn't believe that I got cleaned up the first time around. When I finished the second shower, I found that Mom had set out some clothes for me to wear.

Wonderful. My mother, who just happens to be the missing Dr. Ciel Nomura, just in case you missed it, is treating me like a child and picking out my clothes again. Can't say that I disagree with her choices, though. A simple, light blue T-shirt with blue jeans and my favorite sneakers. Better than her trying to dress me like a doll, I suppose.

I took a little more time getting dressed. The bruises weren't hurting as badly as they were when I first woke up, so I figured I was getting used to them. I stepped out of the bathroom, straightening my shirt a bit. At that moment, something inside my head clicked. I had this sudden urge to duck, which I immediately followed up on.

Thank goodness I did.

A heavy 'THUD' came from where my head was just a second before. Looking up, I noticed that a steel pole sat where my head used to be. Following it, I found Dad holding the end with a smirk on his face.

"What are you doing?" I asked incredulously.

"Testing you." He said simply before bringing the pole down on my head. I rolled out of the way and aimed a sweep at his feet. He saw it coming, though, because he quickly brought the pole down to block my leg before it could get to his. He was clearly more used to fighting in tight spaces like these, because I had no idea what to do next. I couldn't roll away, because the hallway was pretty small in every direction, and trying to get away would leave me open. I couldn't attack, because there wasn't enough room to try anything. I'd bump against a wall no matter what I tried.

Dad had me. I dropped my head lightly on the floor to admit it. He smiled.

"Giving up already?" He asked with a hint of amusement. I shot him the most upset look I could muster.

"How am I supposed to do anything? You surprised me and I can't exactly try anything or I'll get hit with that stupid pole."

"Well, there was your first mistake," Dad said as if he were a teacher and I was his student. "You let me surprise you. Like we said last night; you have be ready to act at a moment's notice. Mavericks aren't going to care if you're ready for them or not. They'll just attack whenever they please, and you have to be ready to stop them at any time."

"And what was my second mistake, exactly?"

Dad's smile widened a bit. "Where you are right now. You've got to be ready to fight in any conditions. _I_ would've figured out a way to get out of the situation you're in a long time ago."

"Yeah," I said in an indignant huff as I picked myself up off the ground. "Well, you've had years of practice with this kind of thing. I'm still new at this. I just barely captured my first Maverick last night, for cripes sake!"

Mom took that moment to walk in to the hallway. "Actually, as it turns out, none of those thieves were Mavericks. Just petty criminals who were really only planning on messing with the city's Traffic Control System. It was just supposed to be a harmless joke to them."

"More hacking, Mom?" I asked.

"I am in no position to confirm or deny the illegal access of information classified to anyone who does not have a Level 4 or higher Clearance Pass with the Neo Arcadian National Crime Registry."

"So, in other words, yes." Mom glared at me. Hey, it's not my fault I can read between the lines.

"Now then," She said irritatedly. "If you two are done playing around, then we need to get going. They're expecting us."

"Who's expecting us?" I asked.

"Why, the Maverick Hunter Corps Headquarters, of course." Dad said with a wide smile on his face. "We have to register you as a Maverick Hunter before you can start fighting the good fight."

"Now then, let's go." Mom said. She led the three of us downstairs. Once we were in front of the wall underneath the steps, Mom turned to look at me.

"Open the door." She said simply. My eyes bugged.

"How? I don't remember where the scanner is!"

She smirked a bit. "Remember where the door opened?" I thought about it for a moment, trying to remember where exactly the door was. I stepped in front of the wall where I thought it was last night.

"I think it was somewhere around here..." I said to myself. I looked around, trying to find something that could tell me if I was right or wrong. I could tell Mom and Dad were watching me, though whether or not they were being patient was a different matter. My eyes ran over the wall in front of me dozens of times, but I couldn't find anything out of place.

"Part of being a Maverick Hunter is having the ability to play 'Detective' whenever the situation calls for it." Dad said after a couple of minutes. It wasn't what I was expecting him to say, since I figured he'd have run out of patience by now. "As a Hunter, you have to focus all of your attention to the task at hand. You can't lose sight of your objective." My eyes kept running over the wall. I couldn't find anything!

"Remember that you have five senses, Iris," Mom said this time. It felt like they were both encouraging me, which I liked. Better than being rushed. "You have to use more than one, maybe all of them, in order to complete your task."

Five senses. Right. How's that supposed to help? Let me see...

Sight? I couldn't see anything that would help. Everything blended in too well for me to pick out what I was looking for.

Smell? Nothing was off. There wasn't any sort of scent I could find.

Taste? I don't think so. I'm not about to start licking the walls just to try and find something.

Hearing? The only thing I could hear was my own breathing and...wait...what's that? It sounded like there was something blowing lightly from the other side of the wall. I pressed my ear up against it just to make sure.

Yep, there it was. Not only could I hear it, but I could tell there was a bit of air coming through because it was gently blowing on my ear. That meant that I was near an edge. I placed my finger on the wall where my ear was and took a step back.

"The door's right here," I said to myself again. "Which means that the fingerprint scanner has to be somewhere around here..."I started trailing my finger along the wall to the right. Now was a good time to use my last sense.

All the paint felt the same. It all felt bumpy against my fingertips. I started frowning slightly. Was I on the wrong side? My finger dragged some more. It was pointless. I wasn't getting anywhere here. I had to...wait. What was this? A spot of paint on the wall felt...weirder than the rest. Almost gummier, if I had to put a word to it. I traced along the part of the wall I found, shaping out the scanner I'd been looking for. I smiled as I placed my finger in the middle of the small rectangle I had drawn. A green light pulsed, proving me right.

I turned back to look at Mom and Dad with the biggest smile on my face. "Found it."

Mom and dad were both smiling as well, clearly proud of me. "Very good," Mom said. The secret door slid open, revealing the secret stairs that led to our secret base. Secretly. The three of us made our way down, with me in the lead this time. Once we made it to the bottom, I activated the lights, which I figured out also activated every machine in the room.

Mom made her way to the nearest computer and started typing away. I didn't bother trying to follow what she was doing, since the sound of all the keys being pressed so rapidly was enough to make my head hurt. The large monitor in the room snapped on, revealing a gold insignia with the letters 'MHC' connected together.

"Welcome to the Maverick Hunter Corps Help Line," a mechanical voice said. "How may we be of service to you on this day?"

Dad stepped forward. "Hunter Registration."

"Authorization Code?" The voice said again.

"Zeta-6625-Omega."

"Witness Authorization Code?"

Mom spoke this time. "Charlie-8499-White."

"Authorization Codes accepted. Re-routing Communication Line to Hunter Command."

We waited in silence for a few moments while the line was being transferred. Some nice little music played on the open line. I strummed my fingers along my pant leg in time with the song. Eventually, though, the song was cut off as the insignia faded out to reveal the face of an older man with white-and-black hair and light facial hair.

"Colonel Blaze." Mom said.

"Zero. Ciel." The man said in response. "It's good to see you two again. It's been too long."

"Far too long," Dad said.

"It hasn't been so long that I don't remember what it means when you call. What's this I hear about you wanting to register a new Maverick Hunter?"

"Yep," Mom nodded. "We've got a live one for you. Ready to go whenever you're ready for her."

Colonel Blaze raised an eyebrow. "'Her'? You don't mean..."

"Can we transfer to the base for registration?" Dad interrupted. Colonel Blaze chuckled.

"Of course. I'll open a Trans Server channel for you. Blaze out." The communication line snapped off, showing the Hunter insignia again. Mom typed in a few more commands before the blue square in the corner of the room started pulsing.

"We're connected," Mom said as she stood up. "Let's go."

The three of us all walked up to the Trans Server. Mom stepped through first. Her entire body was covered in a bright white light before she shot up into the air.

Dad pointed to the square, which was now glowing yellow. "See that?" He asked. "It means that there's someone on the line. You can't transfer now, or you'll both be one fused mess when you reach the other side." I pictured what it would be like to fused with Mom or Dad. Nothing I came up with looked pretty. "You have to wait until the color changes blue before trying to transfer."

I nodded and watched as the square turned blue again. Dad stepped on this time. Instead of white, though, he began to glow a brilliant shade of red.

"See you on the other side." He said before shooting off. I watched as the square pulsed yellow for a few seconds before shifting back to blue. My turn.

 _I wonder what color I glow when I use this thing,_ I thought to myself as I stepped into the square. A smile formed on my face as I thought about the possibilities. It helped that the awesome tingling sensation took over as I began my transfer to the Maverick Hunter Corps Headquarters.


	6. Episode 2: Part 2

The laser light show came to an end, and I found myself staring up at a blue sky. White clouds drifted along in the air, creating a beautiful sight. I couldn't believe how lucky I was to see so much wonderful stuff all at once.

Oh look! A dinosaur!

No! It wasn't the time to lose my head in the clouds. I'm supposed to be registering so that I could be a proper Maverick Hunter. I looked around in order to get an idea of where I was. It seemed to be a large city. White buildings littered the skyline, while airships flew about left and right. Men and women scurried around everywhere, looking like they all had places to be and were late in getting there. I turned around to see a building that dwarfed the Berkana Industries HQ easily. The massive structure seemed to get progressively narrower as it went up until the top reached a point, resembling a needle.

I shivered for a moment. Needles meant bad memories.

"Iris!" Mom called out after me. I snapped my head down to see her and Dad in front of the evil-shaped building. She was waving at me to hurry up. I ran up to the two of them, a tingling feeling making its way down my spine.

"Uh," I said as I approached them. "Are you sure this is the right place...?" Mom nodded. I looked back up along the building. Needles...

"Iris, don't let the building get to you." Dad said, well aware of how I was feeling.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm the nerves that were shaking all over my body. "Thanks, Dad." He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, helping me settle down. I looked at him with a smile on my face. I don't know how he does it, but every time I think about what happened, Dad somehow manages to help me remember that things could've been worse. I wonder if he did the same thing with Mom whenever they were fighting their war.

I lost myself in my thoughts and absently followed Mom and Dad into the Hunter HQ. We approached the front desk, where an overenthusiastic receptionist greeted us.

"Well, hi y'all!" She said, a huge smile on her face. I didn't quite recognize the accent she spoke with. She didn't really stand out, in my opinion. She had on a white blouse with a white skirt that ended just above her knees. Her otherwise shoulder-length brown hair was parted into two pigtails. Even her name, "Grace" according to her name tag, was rather generic. "How can we help y'all today?"

"We're here to register a candidate as a Maverick Hunter." Mom answered with a sweet smile. "We're here under the recommendation of Colonel Blaze."

Grace gasped, bringing her hand up to her mouth. "Oh! You're the ones!" She scrambled around the desk a bit, looking for something. "The Colonel's expectin' you folks. Oh, where are they...? I know I left those orders around here somewhere..."

Dad noticed a sheet of paper on top of the desk in front of the panicking receptionist. "Is this what you're looking for?" He asked, pointing it out.

"Oh! Why thank ya! Now lessee..." She read the sheet over. "Ah. Y'all're to take that elevator.." She pointed to a nearby elevator. "Up to the 90th floor. The Colonel'll meet y'all there."

"Thanks." Mom said as we walked over to the elevator in question. I pressed the button to call for the lift. As we waited for it, Mom tried to discreetly shake her head to forget who we'd just met. When the doors opened, the three of us quickly entered. Dad pressed the button for the 90th floor. Just as we began our ascension, I turned to Dad and asked him a question.

"About that receptionist...is it okay if the word 'hick' comes to mind?"

Mom and Dad laughed.

The elevator was moving slower than any of us would have liked. The lift was rather large, compared to others I've been in and had windows along the back wall so that we could see outside. I sat down and stared up at the ceiling. Mom watched the windows, admiring the city-scape outside. Dad opted to lean against the corner, cross his arms and close his eyes. I figured he might've been tired.

"He's never been a big fan of elevators." Mom said when she noticed that I was looking at him. I raised an eyebrow.

"Why not?"

"They're good ambush spots," Dad said, his stance never changing and his eyes remaining closed. "It's also a good way to get someone out of the way and make it look like an accident."

I rolled my eyes. "I doubt anyone's going to try anything here, Dad."

"Never hurts to be cautious."

"We're almost there." Mom said. I looked at the floor display just above the doors. We were only fifteen floors away. My heart started pounding in my chest. I looked down at my legs. My left one bounced up and down a little as anxiety set in. I willed myself to stop moving and closed my eyes.

It's times like these that I'm thankful that I attend a traditional dojo, and not one of those fly-by-night ones.

I slowed my breathing down as I adjusted myself on my bottom. Clearing my mind of my thoughts, I was able to focus solely on my breathing. I could feel my body calming down thanks to the meditation. I must've lost track of where we were, because Mom tapped me on the shoulder when the elevator stopped. I looked up at her, seeing a warm smile on her face. I returned the smile. Dad, who'd moved to my other side, held out his hand to help me up, which I took.

I have the most caring, if not the most battle hardened, parents in the world.

We stepped out of the elevator and into a large, circular room. Television monitors lined the walls, displaying all kinds of information. A large monitor in the center of the opposite room had a map of the world on it. People milled about everywhere, relaying information to and from people from around the world. A singular chair sat in the middle of the room, seating a man that looked familiar.

For a few moments, everybody in the room ignored us. It was like we weren't even there. It kinda bothered me a little. I mean, come on. Three random people just stepped off the elevator and nobody so much as batted an eyelash in our direction. Mom seemed like she was a bit annoyed, too. She must not be used to being ignored, commanding an entire army at one time and all.

The snowcap-haired man from earlier sat in the central chair, sipping what I assumed to be coffee from a cup in his hand. He seemed more interested in what the monitors in the room had to say than the fact that we were here. That was, until...

"Ladies and gentlemen," He said rather suddenly. It caught everyone off guard. "Consider this a little lesson. Three visitors have just entered our fair Command Center and not a single person other than myself noticed."

You noticed, huh? Then why did you wait so long to say anything? I think he was just trying to save face. Everyone in the room, which I gathered to be about thirty or forty people, all turned their heads to look at us awkwardly. I fought off the urge to say something about it, not wanting to come off as a jerk on day one.

Let's save that for another day, shall we?

The man-in-the-chair stood up, coffee cup still in his hand. He had on a large red jacket with green camouflage pants and heavy boots. How this guy wasn't burning up was beyond me. He began a slow walk in our direction.

"What's more," he continued. "We just happen to be in the presence of rather prestigious company. Had these three been a threat, rather than Zero and Dr. Ciel Nomura, we could be in a much worse situation than we are now. Attention, ladies and gentlemen. It's a bill worth paying every once in a while."

I rolled my eyes. I could use some chips here, because this guy's absolutely covered in cheese. The stares from other people got a little more intense. I don't think they believed Mom and Dad were who Snow-cap said they were. Heck, I could still hardly believe it.

Snow-cap got closer and closer, revealing to me just how big this guy really was. He eventually made it to us, a wide smile on his face. I had to look up just to see this guy's jaw.

I hate being short.

"Zero. Ciel. Glad you made it in one piece." He said.

"Colonel Chaud Blaze...what has this world come to?" Dad joked as he held out a hand in greeting. Colonel Blaze took the hand in what looked like a tight grip.

"It's not in that bad of shape." Blaze said, running along with it. "At least we've managed to keep the floor from looking cluttered."

"Maybe," Mom said. "But there's more to keeping a room clean than worrying about just the floor."

"Well, that's why we've got hired help." Colonel Blaze waved a hand around the room. "Speaking of which," He looked down on me, literally. "Is this little lady the one?"

I opened my mouth in an attempt to tell him what I thought of him when Mom cut me off.

"Yes. This is our daughter, Iris."

Colonel Blaze raised an eyebrow. "Daughter? Adopted, I assume?"

"No, jerk." I snapped. "I'm their biological daughter, thanks for asking."

I thought he might get upset. After all, I _did_ just tell off my potential boss before he even hired me. Not a great way to start an interview, kids. Save the wisecracks for when you're actually working for them, and make sure they're impersonal.

Wait...is he...laughing? At me? What am I, a comedian?

Sure enough, Snow-cap...er...Colonel Blaze...took a few moments out of what seemed to be his busy schedule to chuckle.

"She's got your attitude, Zero." He said simply. Dad rolled his eyes.

"That's what I've been screaming." Mom said, throwing her hands in the air.

"Shut up already!" Dad and I cried out, looking at each other when we finished.

More chuckling from came from Colonel Blaze before he turned to the rest of the room. Nobody moved an inch this whole time, watching us like we were some kind of comedy routine.

"I don't believe I relieved any of you of your duties." He said. The room snapped back to life as everyone began to mind their own business. He then waved over a pair of kids, who came running at his signal.

"Iris, meet the twins: Wasodfhsfhsfd and Bob."

I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Was that supposed to be a joke?

The twins rolled their collective eyes.

"You'll have to forgive the boss." One said. He had short, green spiked hair and light blue eyes. He wore green sweatpants and a white-and-green shirt. His shoes were, in a bit of a twist, blue.

"He's prone to making references to stuff before our time." The other added. He looked like his brother, except that where the first had green, this one had purple and his eyes were red rather than blue. Not like an evil, "Imma deestroi j00" red, but red like rubies. His shoes were also red, rather than blue or purple.

"I'm Middy." The green lover said.

"I'm Techno." The purple one added. "We'll be your field technicians as well as your Operators as long as you're with us."

"I get my own support team?" I asked. The twins nodded. "Cool."

I noticed that the two were staring at me oddly. I raised an eyebrow about it. "Uh, what're you guys staring at?"

They both pointed awkwardly at me and gave me their answer in the stereotypical twin stereo sound: "You're flat."

My left arm shot up to cover my chest while my right commenced to slapping my "team" in the faces. "THANKS FOR POINTING THAT OUT, JERKS!" It's not my fault I'm underdeveloped for my age.

Really.

Nature hates me.

"Well then," Colonel Blaze cut in. "Now that introductions are out of the way, let's get you registered."

He walked back to and sat down in his chair. "Stand over here." He instructed, pointing to a spot in front of his seat. I walked over to where he wanted me to.

"Now what?" I asked.

"Turn around." He answered simply. "I'm not the one who's going to answer the all-important question." Colonel Blaze typed in a few commands on his chair's mini-computer. Turning around, I noticed that the main display in the room displayed the Maverick Hunter insignia.

"Maverick Hunter Registration requested. Please provide proper Authorization Code." An inhuman voice said.

"Charlie-2215-Beta" The Colonel answered.

"Please provide two valid witness codes."

"Zeta-6625-Omega." Dad.

"Charlie-8499-White." Mom.

"Authorization Codes accepted. Beginning subject scan."

A small camera came down from the ceiling and fired off a red lamp. The camera circled me a couple times.

"Data collection in progress. Gender, female. Height, 67 inches. Weight, 94 pounds."

I blanched. Thanks for putting that out there. You wanna give out my blood type while you're at it?

"Blood type, O-Negative."

Thumbs up.

"Name, Iris Sakamoto. Please enter Hunter name to complete registration."

"That's you, Iris." Mom said. "Say your name and you'll be registered with it."

I took a deep breath, and with all the courage I could muster, said the name I _really_ wanted to use.

"Zero."

A small buzzer sounded as the screen in front of me flashed red.

"NOTICE: UNABLE TO COMPLETE REGISTRATION WITH SELECTED OPTION."

I raised an eyebrow. What went wrong? I looked around hoping to find an answer. Instead, I heard snickers coming from all round me. Middy and Techno started laughing their heads off.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"You can't use that name." Middy said, continuing to laugh.

"That name's been retired for years " Techno added. "Nobody's allowed to use it. Could you imagine how many people would be running around dragging your dad's name through the dirt if we could?"

My bottom lip slid out from under my top. "But I really wanna use it..." I whined.

"You can't." Middy chided.

"You'll have to come up with something else." Techno said.

I looked back at the Colonel, my pout still in full force. He didn't look like he cared much.

"I really wanna use it..." I almost whispered. Colonel's eyes rolled. He adjusted himself in his seat.

"Maybe we should let the computer randomly pick a name." He said. He did a little more typing. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. It wasn't fair. I wanted to use my hero-slash-dad's name. I didn't want some computer choosing a name that wasn't going to fit me at all. And all Colonel Jerkface over there was doing was sitting in his chair with a smug look on his face.

"Please enter Hunter name to complete registration." The computer voice repeated. I bet Colonel Pants-a-Blaze was sitting there, watching me squirm in agony. He's probably enjoying...

"Zero." He said aloud, earning wide-eyed looks from everyone.

...my suffering?

"NOTICE: UNABLE TO COMPLETE..."

"Override code Alpha-117-Prairie."

"Override accepted. Registration complete."

"Colonel..." Middy said. Techno put his hand on his brother's shoulder.

"It's alright, Middy." He said. "Colonel knows best."

"That's right." Colonel Blaze said. I sighed. Middy stepped up to the Colonel, who handed him a watch. Middy then walked up to me and handed it over.

"This watch is very special." He said with a small glint in his eye. "This is a Hunter Morpher. It's programmed to automatically teleport and equip your armor from wherever you've got it stored. It'll keep you from having to run home or to a garage to get suited up whenever you're needed."

"The watch," Techno added. "is programmed to only respond to your vocal pattern and to a very specific command. All you have to do is say 'Hunter Form, Power Up' and the watch'll suit you up right away."

I raised an eyebrow. " 'Hunter Form, Power Up'?" I repeated slowly. "You've got to be kidding me."

Middy smiled. "Nope. You'll also have to press the red button on the watch's face." He pointed to the button in question.

Techno poked Middy in the ear, causing the green twin to jump. "Keep in mind, though, that your watch is the first ever produced and most of the technology used to make it work is still in the theoretical stages."

"So then, what you're saying is that this thing's never been tested before."

Neither twin said a word.

"And, for all anybody knows, this thing could be a dud and I'd be a sitting duck while sounding completely goofy at the same time?"

More silence. Great. A warning siren blared loudly as a red light pulsed in the room. The useless twins ran off to a couple of open computers.

"There's a report of Maverick activity in the Neo Arcadian capital." Middy shouted for all to hear. Not that he needed to.

"It seems to be a single unit. No other Maverick signals are being detected in the area." Techno turned to face me. "Great time to test out the Morpher."

Yeah, great. Let's see if this stupid watch actually works when I might need it. I thought tests were supposed to be done _before_ stuff went out for use.

"Beginning transport." Middy said. Transport? I hadn't even put the stupid watch on yet!

"Wait!" I cried. "Can I get a second to-" The tingling set in again.

No, apparently I couldn't.

 


	8. Episode 2: Final

I returned to the Maverick Hunter HQ with my frown still on my face, but as I took the ride back, a hint of worry made its way onto my features. My mission was to capture the Maverick in Neo Arcadia's capital city, wasn't it? I don't think Snow-Cap ever told me what I was supposed to do, exactly. They just kinda whisked me off to face Amarillo Archon, as it turned out to be, without so much as telling me how much force I was allowed to use.

Making things much more fun was the fact that my leg decided that the start of the fight, of all times, was a prime time to fail on me and nearly get me ghosted. _That_ could be looked at later, though. Right now, I had to get myself ready for a potential yelling fit from Snow-Cap, Mom and Dad about holding back on my missions.

Like I knew what I was doing, anyway. My body just kinda acted on its own. It was pretty cool to fight a Maverick for the first time, but I don't know how I did anything in that fight. I'd only fought with swords once the night before and I'd never done _anything_ like what I did. It was weird.

"Care to join us back on Earth, Zero?" Colonel Snow-Cap said, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Or would you like more time to store your head in the clouds?"

Jerk through-and-through, it would seem. Colonel Blaze lifted a brow.

"A 'jerk through-and-through', am I?" He asked. Aw, nuts.

"I said that out loud, didn't I?" I asked, slightly nervous.

"No." He answered before sipping his drink. "I just happen to be psychic."

Nuts. I've got to learn when my thoughts make it to my mouth. Mom stepped forward, a concerned look on her face.

"Is something wrong, Iris?" She asked. I brought my hands up to my helmet, tracing my thumbs along the jawline. Once I found the release buttons, I pressed them and lifted the helmet from my head. Bringing it down to my side, I frowned again as the question made me think about the fight again.

"My leg went numb." I said. Mom snapped her head toward Dad, who also came up to me in a concerned manner.

"How long did it go out?" He asked. The frown on his face matched mine. Neither of us, nor Mom, were anywhere near thrilled with that fact.

"A few seconds. I had to hit it to get it to start moving again." Mom and Dad exchanged worried expressions.

"Are you alright?" Dad asked. His eyes moved between my own and my leg.

"I'm fine. It's fine, now."

I don't think Mom and Dad bought what I was selling, but they seemed fine with my answer for now. They backed up a little, still eying me worriedly.

"This leg issue isn't going to be a liability in the field, is it?" Colonel Blaze asked as he took another sip of his drink.

I glared at him. Thanks for the sympathy, jerk. "No. It'll be fine."

"Good, because I would hate to force you to retire early because of what was written off as a minor issue."

I bet. I looked around a bit in thought again. Even though she _did_ try to blow me to pieces, I _did_ feel sorry for Archon. I did kinda heartlessly destroy her in the middle of the street.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Middy asked, noting my expression.

"That Maverick," I said. "I think I went a step too far by destroying her."

Middy and Techno looked between themselves before snickering. I looked at them incredulously just as they began a full-on laughing fit. Why were they so happy about it? Didn't they care that I destroyed someone?

"I wouldn't worry about that." Middy said between chuckles before walking up to me too. Techno followed, throwing his arms around his brother's neck.

"Yeah, you didn't destroy that Maverick." He said, pressing his cheek into his brother's. It started to bother me how close these two were, literally speaking.

"What do you mean? That big explosion in the middle of the street says otherwise."

"Well," Techno said, dragging a finger along his brother's jawline. "The attack you used to take that Maverick down was a very powerful strike. One that required a huge amount of energy."

Middy shook his brother off of his shoulders. "The attack took up so much energy that the Maverick didn't take the whole hit. The explosion that resulted from the Maverick hitting the ground was just the residual energy making contact with the ground. The Maverick is just fine." He went back to his computer and typed in a few commands. The main monitor snapped to a camera showing Maverick I thought I destroyed. "We'll pick it up in a few minutes."

I frowned. "She's not an 'it'. Her name is...uh..." I thought for a moment as puzzled looks were aimed in my direction. "Oh yeah! Archon. Amarillo Archon."

Colonel Blaze chuckled a bit. "Rookie mistake." I turned around to face him. "You think they're still people. Once they're infected with the Maverick Virus, they're no longer who they once were."

My furrowed brows deepened a bit. "What are you talking about? They're still people."

"No, they're not. The Maverick Virus changes a Reploid permanently. Their systems can't be restored. They lose the memories they once had and become blinded by pure rage."

"We searched the name of the Maverick you battled against." Techno said. "Amarillo Archon was designed to be a research subject in portable electricity generation. Her systems allowed her to not only constantly generate electricity within her by using an internal water generator, but to also use the large protrusions on her body to act as lightning rods in the event of her internal generator failing. Plans were for Archon to be used as an emergency power plant. That is..." He trailed off.

"...before she went Maverick." I finished. Techno nodded.

"And there isn't any way this Maverick Virus can't be removed or deleted?"

"There was," Dad said with a pitiful look on his face. I couldn't understand why, though. "but like natural life, the Virus has adapted itself into a program that can't be deleted with even the most advanced technologies."

"So what happens to her now?"

"She'll be taken into custody." Colonel Blaze answered, sipping his drink. I'm starting to hate his attitude toward this whole thing. "Her internal systems will be disabled to prevent her from becoming a danger to anyone and she'll be held until our CIC figures out what to do with her."

I raised a puzzled eyebrow. "CIC?"

"Commander-in-Chief." Middy said. "If you ever have the opportunity to meet her in person, pass on that."

"You'll regret it if you don't." Techno added. I rolled my eyes. Whoever this 'CIC' was, she couldn't be nearly as bad as they were making her seem. Then again, I didn't think Snow-Cap was that bad when I saw him on the monitor at home and I was being proven wrong about that.

"Now then," Colonel Blaze started. "You've had a taste of what it's like to be a Maverick Hunter. Your missions won't always be that easy. You'll often be outnumbered in the field, and you'll be expected to complete your missions against such odds. Your life will be at constant risk, and you may be required to destroy your targets." He smiled slightly. "Think you can handle it?"

I scowled. So you're going to underestimate me, huh? I'm constantly having to watch my back for my psycho-ninja best friend to make sure she doesn't put me in a hospital just because she's bored.

And she'd do that too. She told me she would if she got bored enough.

"That depends." I said as my confidence started to grow. "Can you smile when you're not saying something jerk-ish?"

He chuckled a bit. "She's definitely your daughter, Zero." Dad rolled his eyes. I think he hates it when people compare my attitude with him. I kinda see where people are coming from when they say that. We both tend to make smarter remarks than the situation may call for. Blaze stood up and walked over to where I was standing, smiling as he took his steps. I thought he was going to hold his hand out as an offering and a welcome into the Maverick Hunter ranks. Instead, he held out his hand and did the one thing I hate the most in the world.

He patted me on the head.

I fumed, my fists shaking in anger as he stroked my hair. He was getting _way_ into my personal bubble and I didn't even like the guy.

"You'll make a fine Maverick Hunter, Iris." He said. I guess he could tell I wasn't a big fan of the way he was making contact with me. Someone behind me grabbed my left wrist and started yanking me out of the room.

"Come on!" Said person...well...said as I stumbled forward. "I'll show you where the dorm rooms are!"

I could only guess by the green blur in front of me that Middy was the one who was dragging me out of the Command Center and down the hallway.

"Slow down!" I cried. "I'm still wearing my armor!"

"Oh please! It's not slowing or weighing you down that badly!"

Maybe not, but it _does_ make trying to regain your balance while stumbling around a little more difficult than normal. As proven by the wall I ended up face-planting into because of the aforementioned balance issue.

* * *

Ciel, Zero and Blaze watched as the younger of the two twin technicians dragged Iris out of the Command Center.

"Is it okay for me to be worried right about now?" Zero asked, bringing his hand up to scratch the back of his head in nervousness. Ciel brought a gloved hand up to her mouth and bit down on the tip of her thumb.

"She'll be fine." Blaze answered as he walked back to his chair. "Middy's not going to try anything on your daughter."

"It's not her I'm worried about."

Ciel released her thumb's tip and raised a finger. "I'm going to go after them. Iris could break him if either of them isn't careful." With that, she quickly walked out of the Command Center in pursuit of Iris and Middy.

* * *

It was a longer trip than I figured it might've been. The building didn't seem this wide when I saw it outside, but then again, I _was_ concentrating more on the syringe-feeling I got from it. Middy dragged me past several doors before stopping in front of a blue one. It seemed odd that the door was blue, considering every other door I'd seen since I stepped foot into this building was a bright white, just like the rest of the place.

"Well, we're here!" Middy exclaimed, much too excited for the situation at hand. Calm down, Greenie. You're showing me where I'm supposed to stay, not trying to act like you're not going to throw me a 'Welcome Iris!' party and then try to surprise me with said party when I walk through the door.

Wait, these are dorm rooms, right?

"Am I going to have to live here?" I asked. I think Middy picked up on the slight hint of worry in my voice, because he smiled, rolled his eyes, shook his head and chuckled all at the same time.

That doesn't make a person feel self-conscious. Not at all.

"No, not really." He said as he thumbed the door release. "Staying in the dorms is completely optional. We offer the Maverick Hunters a place to stay in case they have a mission that lasts longer than they thought, or if they just need a break from daily life."

The door opened, revealing a rather plain room. It was pretty large, actually. Not quite the size of the Command Center, but it was certainly big enough to easily house six people. I only got the idea that six people were intended to stay there because there were six bunk beds in the room that look like they were built into the far wall. Just looking at them, they looked pretty comfy, actually. A small kitchen area sat to the right of the bunks. I doubted there was any food in there right now, but that didn't mean I couldn't stock up later. White chairs circled a glass coffee table in the center of the room, while the wall opposite the kitchen displayed the largest entertainment center I've ever seen. My eyes went a little wide at the sight.

"So, what do you think?" Middy asked, beaming. He looked kinda cute, actually. But something confused me.

"I like it. But why do you look like that?"

"I furnished everything. All this came out of my pocket, and I'm proud of the way it looks."

"Ah." I nodded. Why would Middy pay for furniture in an empty room? I'd ask him later.

"So then, any questions?"

I nodded again. "A couple. First, how do I take my armor off? Mom and Dad had to help me pull everything off last night." Middy chuckleshooksmilerolled again. He grabbed my left wrist and held it up.

"Just press the red button on your wrist." He said, pointing out a small red button that looked like the one on the watch that put my armor on me in the first place. I hadn't noticed it at first, because it blended in with the red accent lines that ran along the armor. I pressed it and went temporarily blind. The button caused my armor to glow a bright white before disappearing completely a second later. When my sight returned, I saw that I was back in the clothes I had on before.

"That's cool." I said. "But wouldn't that be a problem on a mission?"

"Not really." Middy said. "The button only works when you press it intentionally. If you press it accidentally, or if your wrist hits or is hit by anything, the button won't do anything. I'd explain how it works to you, but it's a bit complicated and we need to finish this episode up."

I raised an eyebrow. What did he mean by 'episode'?

"Okay..." I'll just let it go for now. "Second question: How did I know how to do everything I did out there?"

"I can answer that." A voice said from behind us. We both turned to see Mom standing in the doorway. "The helmet has a situational analysis system programmed into it. It scans all the factors in the area around you and comes up with what is the most plausible response. It then sends a small electric charge into your skull. It's not large enough for you to feel it or for it to negatively affect you, but it's large enough to send a signal to your brain. Your brain interprets those charges and sends signals to the rest of your body. Your body responds to those signals, and before you know it, you're kicking all kinds of butt."

My face fell a bit. I hoped it was some kind of natural reaction, but it turned out to be just some form of mind control. Mom saw my face and smiled.

"Don't worry, Iris. Your helmet is also programmed to grow and evolve along with you. It learns about you just as it learns about whatever problem you're facing. It'll eventually send fewer and fewer signals until you're doing everything on your own." I smiled a bit. So I won't have to depend on it forever. That's good.

"So," Middy said. "You going to stay here for a while?"

I thought about it for a moment. I didn't want to insult Middy by going home after he's shown me his investment. But at the same time, I _do_ have to go to school tomorrow. I mentally tossed a coin to figure out what I was going to do. It landed heads. Let's see, heads was...

"I'll stay for the night, I suppose."

Middy's smile grew. Mom brought a hand to her cheek.

"I'll bring you a change of clothes and your school uniform from home. You'll be alright staying here by yourself, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks." Mom nodded before walking out. Middy followed her soon after, almost skipping out of the room. Once the door closed, I looked around a bit at the room that was now mine.

 _So now I'm a full fledged Maverick Hunter,_ I thought. _I've got awesome parents, a sweet suit of armor, and an incredible room to myself._

I smiled. My life was changing for what I thought was the cooler.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made what seemed like a fourth-wall joke in this chapter. It wasn't meant to be that, but reading it over, it feels like that. I'm considering doing some rewrites along the way. I might clarify that at some point.


End file.
